Sunday, June 17, 2012

There's an app for that ...

Cell phones.Life was
fine without them, right?True, but
after having one for a while you realize how useful they are if you happen to
damage or misplace yours.Like I
did.Mine was not one of the newfangled
iPhones or a Droid or anything that “smart.”In comparison, you might call it a “dumb-phone”.But it did have some handydandy features that
I did use quite a bit.I could call
people and receive calls, of course.My
phone had an alarm clock, which kept me from napping too long on my lunch break
at work.There was a calculator that I could
use to quickly split a check at a restaurant six ways, including the tip.I could even download music or podcasts to my
phone and use it as an mp3 player.And those
features are just a few that came pre-loaded on the phone!

Over time I did add some software applications, called “apps”,
to make my cell phone more useful to me.Things like some custom ringtones, so I could wake from my lunchtime
naps to the sound of “WOW – WaHaHaHow – WOW – All I can say is WOW!”(if that doesn’t get your attention, not much
else would.)The King James Bible was
always with me, even if the print was tiny and it was difficult to navigate
through the books.And speaking of
navigation, I am so thankful for the app that gives turn-by-turn directions to
get me through the roundabouts of Ladera Ranch, otherwise I’d still be trying
to find my way home from the party Julie hosted in 2011!

Even if you and I had the same model of cell phone, the apps
on your phone would probably be different from what I have on mine.You may work in the medical field, and have a
medical dictionary app on yours.I’m not
much into taking pictures, but you might use Instagram to share pictures of
your grandbabies.And for when boredom
strikes, you might play Words With Friends, but not with me because I’ll be
reading something on the Nook app.

In a way, you and I are like cell phones.God made us all in His image and likeness,
but made each of us unique, in that we all have different inherent strengths,
or different apps, so to speak.Those
apps are often referred to as “spiritual gifts.”These spiritual gifts come from the Holy
Spirit, that Spirit of God that comes alive in us when we believe in
Jesus.The same Spirit that gives you
your spiritual gifts is the same Spirit that gives me mine.He gives them to each person, just as he
decides. Some people have the gift of
healing, such as nurses, doctors, health care professionals.Someone else might have the gift of wisdom.Many people have the gift of faith – they know
God continuously works wonders in the lives of people.There are those who have an innate passion
for teaching, or for working behind the scenes to help make programs work.Those who make visitors welcome in their
homes are known for their gift of hospitality.When you have a spiritual gift, it’s as though you have a pre-loaded app
for what you love to do, and you do it well.

Our spiritual gifts are to be used, not just for our own
benefit, but for the benefit of those around us.Back to the cell phone illustration.Whether we have smart-phones or dumb-phones,
the features and apps are useful if they are, well, used.I did not realize until very recently that I
could check my email and reply from the palm of my hand. Well, that’s not
exactly true.Now that I think of it, I
did sort of know about doing email from my phone, knew it could benefit me, but
never bothered to put it to use.In the
2 ½ years I’ve had my phone, it just now occurred to me how many times I could
have sent an email mid-day to bless somebody who could have used an encouraging
word.

The topic of spiritual gifts is one wher I could go on and
on.Just as there are some half a
million apps you can download to your smart-phone, there are probably as many
gifts the Holy Spirit can load in to those who believe in Jesus.Many gifts may be similar, but each one has
its own distinct nuances, just as individual as the one who receives the
gift.If you wish to explore this
subject further and learn more about what your unique spiritual gifts are and how you might use them to benefit others, I
would be willing and honored to help guide you in this endeavor.